CLARIFICATION: Updated to add that some states have enacted regulations restricting the purchase of farmland by corporations; these laws vary in stringency and effectiveness. (March 20, 2023 3:45 p.m. MST)

The growing value of agricultural commodities is attracting deep-pocketed financial investors - like Bill Gates - and pushing land ownership out of reach for many, particularly beginning farmers and farmers of color.

Savi Horne, executive director of the North Carolina Association of Black lawyers' Land Loss Prevention Project, said since the start of the pandemic there has been more pressure for financial institutions and investors to acquire land, further driving up costs and complicating the struggle for racial equity in agriculture.

Horne contends the hefty price tag for good farmland is one of the biggest challenges. Average U.S. farmland prices increased 7% from June 2020 to June 2021, and 12% from June 2021 to June 2022, according to data from the USDA.

Horne's experience backs those figures up. "Most recently I heard from farmers who were looking two years back, in which they were saying that it was under $1,000 per acre, but now in that community, it's like about $3,000 to $5,000."

Costs are much higher in states like California, but "The financial industry is in the market for farmland" in a big way in the South, according to a deep dive into who's buying up agricultural land from the National Family Farm Coalition with a focus on the Mississippi Delta.

While some states have enacted regulations restricting the purchase of farmland by corporations, these laws vary in stringency and effectiveness. There are currently no federal laws specifically addressing the purchase of farmland by financial institutions, said Horne.

She makes the case that it is in the public's best interest to create a vibrant and diverse small farm sector, and suggests that the federal government could help by proactively purchasing farmland to level the playing field among farmers.

"Making land available, acquiring land and making it available - low cost to no cost to next-generation farmers if they're really serious about growing next-generation capacity to grow food and to participate in rural communities," Horne said.

She adds, Black farmers in particular face multiple land-loss threats, including the legacy of federal government discrimination in farm lending, and the lack of legal protections for the collective landownership form known as "heirs' property."

When a farm has been owned and/or shared by an extended family for multiple generations, the various heirs may lack clear title if formal probate was not processed completely with each successive owner's death. Those legal proceedings over generations of ownership can be expensive, complicated and time-consuming. If all the heirs can't prove legal ownership, there is a danger of losing the property.

Historically, this legal quandary occurs more frequently for Indigenous, Black and people of color communities whose families faced greater institutional challenges.


get more stories like this via email

As the Atlantic coast braces for what could be an active hurricane season, environmental groups are warning about the dangers of agricultural pollution.

They say large amounts of animal waste, often stored in unsecured, outdoor lagoons, make already harrowing events such as flash floods an even greater health and safety risk.

Krissy Kasserman, factory farm organizing director for the group Food and Water Watch, said heavy downpours can spread toxins to local drinking water supplies and area farm fields.

"We see climate change making these storms bigger, they're more intense," Kasserman pointed out. "They flood these manure lagoons, which creates a really potentially deadly mess of pollution for people who live downstream to have to deal with."

Kasserman noted low-income communities are often closest to agricultural waste sites and are most at risk. She stressed the cost of cleanup for drinking water sources after storms often falls to ratepayers and well owners themselves.

Agricultural waste not only poses a risk during and after a storm but is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, which scientists say are fueling more climate change-related weather events. It is estimated livestock production alone accounts for nearly 15% of worldwide emissions.

Kasserman argued federal legislation known as the "Farm System Reform Act" would impose a moratorium on construction of new and expanding factory farms to better protect nearby communities.

"The answer is to move toward a more sustainable form of agriculture that doesn't involve confining a large number of animals and their manure in one very small space," Kasserman contended.

Kasserman acknowledged it will take strong political will to stand up to "Big Ag" to get it done. Meanwhile, forecasters are warning residents along the Atlantic coast to prepare for an above normal number of hurricanes this season with up to 25 named storms along with four to seven major hurricanes by the end of November.

get more stories like this via email

Like kids everywhere, New Mexico preschoolers balk at eating fresh vegetables. But an educational project has found that with a creative nudge, they'll try just about anything - even purple carrots.

Kids who start off eating processed foods are more likely to suffer health consequences, including obesity and juvenile diabetes. And often, low-income children of color don't have access to local fresh produce.

Sayrah Namaste, a program co-director with the American Friends Service Committee, leads an educational project that partners with the federal Head Start program, to provide young students with engaging nutrition activities.

"If we can intervene with children at a young age - before the age of 8 - to shape their palate, to shape their sense of what they want to eat," said Namaste, "we have greater success with their health outcomes."

The AFSC program helps small-scale, organic farmers supply fresh vegetables to preschoolers - especially low-income children - near Albuquerque, the Española Valley, the Taos Valley, and two nearby pueblos.

Until five years ago, most of the preschools were buying their vegetables from large grocers - but have since arrived at a price point with local farmers that benefits both groups.

To cajole them into trying more nutritious food, Namaste said they've introduced the kids to campaigns such as the "Great Carrot Crunch," "Cherry Tomato Chomp," and "Give Peas a Chance."

She said steamed broccoli and purple carrots have been recent favorites.

A recent activity included bringing a local organic farmer into the classroom, who along with drumming, showed them how to plant a garden.

"He taught them a song, a blessing before you plant your seeds," said Namaste. "And so, the kids got to do that and got to play on the drum - and then they planted the seeds together. So, he brought in the cultural pieces of farming, because farming is very cultural here."

Namaste added that structural racism has removed many New Mexico kids from their own cultures - and that led to a specific activity guide.

"We created a farm-to-preschool guide that's only for tribal preschools and tribal home visiting, and it's called Connecting with Corn" said Namaste. "It is restricted for use only with Indigenous folks, because it does talk about that, in the Southwest, corn is a really sacred crop."

Corn has been a diet staple of Indigenous communities for more than 3,000 years.



get more stories like this via email

New global guidelines for aquaculture aim to address growing concerns about the industry's impact on the oceans.

Scientists have suggested ways to protect aquatic ecosystems, reduce antibiotic use, and even prevent ocean litter from discarded aquaculture gear.

Danielle Blacklock, director of the Office of Aquaculture at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, calls the guidelines "a big deal," as consumer demand for seafood outpaces supply.

"We're developing a new food system for the first time in millenia," said Blacklock. "That means that things are changing quickly. We're learning fast. We're adapting."

Blacklock said the U.S. currently imports up to 85% of its seafood.

She said the new guidelines should help level the playing field for Massachusetts farmers to ensure they, too, can reap the financial benefits of aquaculture while using sustainable practices.

For the first time, the amount of seafood produced on farms has surpassed the amount harvested from the wild, according to the United Nations.

Critics of finned fish farms, in particular, say they're no different than land-based factory farms and are detrimental to ocean habitats.

But Blacklock said aquaculture, including New England's numerous shellfish and kelp farms, will play an important role in countering food insecurity.

"When we mix climate change with our growing population," said Blacklock, "it clearly starts to rise to the top as part of our solution set to fight hunger."

Blacklock said the new guidelines also suggest ways aquaculture itself can reduce its carbon footprint.

She said the new guidelines are voluntary - but if implemented, they could help lift local economies and coastal communities, while building climate change resilience.



get more stories like this via email